Govind Tekale

Landmark Same-Sex Marriage Bill Wins US Senate Passage

News, USA

Washington,DC: The US Senate passed bipartisan legislation to protect same- sex marriages, an extraordinary sign of shifting national politics on the issue & a measure of relief for the hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples who have married since the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision that legalized gay marriage nationwide .

The bill, which would ensure that same-sex & inter-racial marriages are enshrined in federal law, was approved 61- 36, including support from 12 Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the legislation was “ a longtime coming” and part of America’s “difficult but inexorable march towards greater equality”.

A new law protecting same-sex marriages would also be a major victory for Democrats as they relinquish their two years of consolidated power in Washington , and a massive win for advocates who have been pushing for decades for federal legislation. It comes as the LGBTQ community has faced violent attacks, such as the shooting last month at a gay nightclub in Colorado that killed five people & injured at least 17.

“Our community needs a win, we have been through a lot “ said Kelley Robinson, the incoming president of Human Rights Campaign, which advocates on LGBTQ issues. As a queer person who is married , I feel a sense of relief right now. I know my family is safe . Robinson was in the Senate chamber for the vote with her wife, Becky, and toddler son.”It was more emotional than I expected” , she said .  

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